EO Brief Labeles Evangelicals and Catholics as Religious Extremists

April 7th, 2013, 03:04 PM

According to the training documents, "Extremism is a complex phenomenon" that is present in every religion due to "some followers that believe that their beliefs, customs and traditions are the only 'right way' and that all others are practicing their faith the 'wrong way,' seeing and believing that their faith/religion superior to all others."

I am Catholic and was drawn to the military for its adherence to moral practices. As Liberals make the miltary and our country more secular; I feel to refrain from religious discussion. Since more of our citizens are becoming atheists and agnostics, the country is very much different from my childhood.

Comment

I respect your honesty and service. Your Catholic Faith reaches that inmost image created in the likeness. However, I would like to offer a conjecture, that this is a conversation worth having. Edmund Burke suggests that the only thing necessary for evil to prevail is for good men to do nothing. I once heard retired Air Force Chief of Chaplains CH MG Richardson; offer an eloquent exposition on having moral courage. He suggested having moral courage is synoptic with prophetic voice, even in times of excessive opposition. It seems that this is a time to be that prophetic voice. This incident should be viewed as oppressive and repressive. Soldiers sharing these Faiths are being alienated and marginalized which isn't equitable or justified. Religious diversity is at the very root of our nation. It is of less concern to have open mutual differences, but when rhetoric becomes alienating the line has been crossed. Ronald Reagan suggested that the easiest way for peace is to surrender. You shouldn't remain silent, especially when you are being considered an extremist because of that One Holy Catholic Apostolic Faith.

Comment

I serve the One-True Living God. And as Chaplain4me said, If that makes me an 'extremist' in their eyes...so be it. I draw my identity from Christ, not this world and the many mis-guided people living in it. On that note, Jesus said there would be days of persecution...and I feel we are rapidly approaching those days.

I kind of see where they're coming from. If your way is "the only right way," it's not hard to draw an arrow to "I should convert others," which is an inappropriate thing to do in uniform/in the workplace; and it's a violation of EO, which I presume was the intent of the re-definition. On the same note, "extremist" has very negative connotations, and labeling the religious as "extremists" is probably also a violation of EO. The author could have found a more fitting word to describe religious folks with evangelical beliefs, like, I dunno, "evangelical."

If your way is "the only right way," it's not hard to draw an arrow to "I should convert others," which is an inappropriate thing to do in uniform/in the workplace; and it's a violation of EO, which I presume was the intent of the re-definition.

Doesn't pretty much everyone in the world think that their way is the right way? Why else would they be doing it if they didn't think it was right? Who deliberately lives in a manner that they think is wrong?

Apparently Martin Luther King was a religious extremist, and good people should have opposed him.

Doesn't pretty much everyone in the world think that their way is the right way? Why else would they be doing it if they didn't think it was right? Who deliberately lives in a manner that they think is wrong?

Apparently Martin Luther King was a religious extremist, and good people should have opposed him.